Celebrating our Long-Standing Association with DR. Krishna Kumar, Pediatric Cardiologist, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi

How does one describe who a doctor really is? A Doctor is someone who is blessed with the magical powers to treat a life, to bring health into our life, and be there for us when others have lost all hope.

Dr Krishna Kumar, a pediatric cardiologist is one such noble person who beautifully fits this description. A walk through the pediatric cardiology ward at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi, and you will see him patiently connecting to children and their families, finding the best possible treatment for congenital heart defects in infants and children, counselling and talking to families, doing what he can to ensure that each child in need, has access to a good quality treatment.

What sets Dr Krishna Kumar apart is not only his sharp medical acumen but his keen interest to ensure that every single child with a congenital heart defect is diagnosed and treated on time, irrespective of whether the family has the funds to support that treatment or no. It is this ideology that has been the backbone of a strong collaboration of Genesis Foundation with him where we he has treated over 200 children supported by us. Our association with Dr Krishna Kumar goes back to 2015, when we started working with AIMS for the treatment of congenital heart defects in infants and children. What struck us was his passion to ensure quality care to each and every child no matter what socioeconomic background the child came from. In today’s world, this is a rare quality to find in people – of going beyond the mandate to help save a life.

The number of little hearts that have continued beating because of his intervention are many. The stories are endless, but some just always pop out. 11 year old Amritha was born with an extremely complex defect. Her heart was on the right side, instead of left side (dextrocardia), ventricles were one-on-top-of-the-other (superior-inferior) instead of being left-and-right, both great arteries arose from her superiorly positioned right-ventricle (double outlet right ventricle), there were two large holes (ventricular septal defects), and her pulmonary artery (which carries impure blood to lungs) was severely obstructed. Under the leadership of to Dr Krishna Kumar, for the first in India a 3D model of the heart was printed to aid the complex open-heart surgery. Amritha’s father was a driver and in ordinary circumstances could not have afforded the treatment for his daughter. Stories like this exemplify what truly motivates him – it is not just providing the treatment, but it is about providing the best quality of treatment to ALL children, irrespective of where they come from.  

Having completed his MBBS at Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi, Dr Krishna Kumar went on to do his post-graduation in internal medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi. It was during this time that he decided to pursue his career in cardiology and his mentor, Dr Tandon, opened the world to pediatric cardiology. In those days, there were not many institutes offering structured courses in pediatric cardiology. Determined to give this a try he joined a fellowship training programe at Boston’s Children’s Hospital. He returned to India with the firm determination to replicate the state-of-the-art care facilities he saw there and provide world class treatment for congenital heart defects in infants and children.

However, he was hugely frustrated. He initially only found work in corporate hospitals, and this was disturbing for him as children who could not afford treatment were being turned away.  And that is when he started working with AIMS, as the trust was established with a clear commitment to serve everyone irrespective of the economic condition.

Dr Krishna Kumar has dedicated the last 24 years at AIMS in setting up world class standards of care while at the same time ensuring that no child with a critical heart defect is turned away due to a lack of funds. Through his exemplary work he has set up high standards of care for the treatment of congenital heart defects in infants and children in India. The pediatric cardiac program at AIMS, Kochi was awarded the BMJ award for quality improvement (2014) for delivering outstanding clinical outcomes.

Committed to his cause, he has also developed dedicated training programmes for specialists treating congenital heart defects in infants and children. At the same time, he has networked with many Foundations and philanthropic organisations to ensure that no child in need of treatment is turned away due to a lack of funds.

We salute Dr Krishna Kumar for the exemplary work he has done with us and helped us give life a chance to hundreds of children who would have otherwise struggled with a critical congenital heart defect.

We look forward to continuing working with a committed medical professional like him and help Save Little hearts across the country.